The topic of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electric energy generation is very relevant nowadays. The focus is placed to the electric power system of Poland, which is very emission problematic system. It consists mainly of coalfired thermal power plants. The objective of the work is related with the structure of electric power system and its reliability. It is worth analysing how additional electric energy demand is covered by different scenarios of the new generation sources and what this means for the power system reliability.
The reliability of the power system was assessed through the Loss of Load Expectation indicator (LOLE). A recursive algorithm was developed which is specifically designed for large power systems such as the Polish one. Several examples in terms of different scenarios were evaluated including increase of electric power demand up to the year 2050 and including new generation sources.
The results have shown that the current power system of Poland, predominantly composed of fossil fuels, can be characterized as highly reliable. However, the same cannot be said for all the proposed scenarios aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in electric energy
production by 2050. The last analyzed scenario also confirms the idea that renewable energy
sources, even with the support of gasfired plants, cannot fully meet the demands of a larger
power system, if there is not enough generation power. It was demonstrated that the reliability of the system significantly increases with the inclusion of nuclear power plants, which represent a low-carbon source with a high level of availability.
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